chicago_shearer

Fucking gutted. 

Forget 50 pages on Arda Turan, I'd rather have Derdiyok.

Come on Switzerland!

Ricardo just has one of those faces that you want to hit with a heavy, blunt object.

I think the Czechs have the right idea here.  Bully them, kick the shit out of them.  Portugal don't look like a big team at all.

Well done Czechs.  1-1.

Deco 1-0

Good game by Sweden, played some good football..

 

Is Sam Allardyce manging Greece? i didnt think they were that boring last time around.

 

Credit where its due though, Angelios Basinas the Greece captin gave a brilliant peformence in the middle, not a foot wrong all game..

 

Ibrahimovic again showing that one moment of class from him could win a game.

Otto Renghal does bare a resemblance. 

http://www.whoateallthepies.tv/81503495.jpg

Hi-Res image of Sneijder's goal from the Italy/Holland match.  Great wallpaper.

We need 5 or 6 capable of playing in the first team.  A transitional season is inevitable.  Some of them can be young and inexperienced, but they need to be of sufficient quality to compete in the Premiership.  At the moment, the only positions we have any sort of cover for are up front and on the left wing.  Ridiculous situation for a club aspiring for better things next season.  With what?  Habib Beye won the player of the year contest by a landslide because everyone else was so f***ing s*** we ended up in a relegation battle.  And we only need 2 or 3 players to get back in contention?   

http://www.nufc.com/2007-08html/squad.html

Assuming Barton is also gone, I count 15 players I'd be comfortable with in the first team squad.  And that's including the s*** ones (Smith) and excluding any injuries. 

Christ our squad is tiny.  

I hope Keegan, Ashley & co. have a transfer blitz planned for some point before August because we might need some players if we plan on playing football next season.  They do realize that even with the 6+5 rule you still need 11 players on the pitch?  Better make sure.

The problem we have is, in the system of 4-3-3- you can't have Average midfielders, look at Chelsea they have top quality midfielders, an "Average midfielder that might get better" won't be suffice, i'm not saying get Deco Stankovic and Toulalalon. But we need a higher quality of midfielder, Arshavin should be our number one target in my opinion. Turan and then an Essien like runner, that toulouse fella I mean Stankovic might be worth a punt he's reproted to be transfer listed by Mourinho.

Well Keegan managed to get 4-3-3 with midfielders who, on their best days, aspire to be average.  Imagine how good we'd be with someone half-decent like Larsson.

The way some people are going on you would swear we are interested on Dean Windass for 4million. He looks technically sound and I think he can improve, just beacause he's not a world beater yet doesn't mean he won't be a very good signing, equally there is no guarentee that he will do anything for us, however, we could be linked with far far worse players!!!!

Exactly.  The way people are going on about "only signing players that will improve us" you would think we had quality central midfielders in the squad already, not a pair of aging journeymen who were both involved in losing to fucking Derby.  "A young Swedish international who happens to be the most accurate free kick taker in the league is going for the cheap?  No thanks, not good enough for us."  Embarrassing.   

Shome shexy football from the Dutch.  Well done.  Best team so far.

Italy have three golden chances only for the Dutch to march back down and win it.  Great game.

3-0!!!!

Lot of Italian pressure here. 

What a pass from Van der Vaart there. 

WHHHHAAAT A goal.  2-0.

RvN clearly offside but it stands.  1-0.

GOOLLLL

I need an exciting match this afternoon to distract me.  Its 100 degrees F here and the air conditioner broke this morning.  88 F in the house and getting warmer.  Fucking brutal.  

Wow.  Malouda. 

Over reaction time, but this is the worst tournament I can ever remember.

I've been thinking that too, these feel like friendlies instead of a tournament.  But I don't know if I'm biased by the fact that England aren't in it.

Hopefully they will stop pissing about in Round 2 when elimination is a possibility.

Are people forgetting that we have TWO qualified central midfielders?  Butt & Geremi - two past it grandads - on our books and people are acting as if we're too good for him.  Rubbish.  Deluded.

 

More or less deluded than the people saying he could be the next bentley?

Here's the gist of it:

- Ability-wise he's on par with the players we have, but he's young so theoretically should improve.

- 4 million isn't too bad a price

- Yet won't be a statement signing by any stretch

I'm not suggesting he would be the next Bentley either, but I'm saying he would be a very good signing for the money given his age and Premiership experience.  Even if Keegan puts his faith in Geremi and/or Butt by keeping them in a team that is supposed to be aiming for European football next season and even if we make a big signing like Bentley or Deco or whoever to partner them in midfield, we would still be hopelessly short of players and one injury away from disaster.

When Butt & Geremi are your first choice, you are asking for a relegation battle IMO.  We need both superior quality and depth to fix that problem.  If we just make "statement signings" this summer we are going to be in big trouble next season when we end up with only 13-15 players we'd be comfortable with having in the first team.